Wiring for Power adapter?

[Djard]

I have a 90w power adapter from an older notebook that will work with my HP DV5-1015nr. I transport my notebook between home and office. I'd like to utilize the older power brick, so that I won't need to transport a power brick back and forth. The tips on both adapters, of course, are of a different diameter.     

My multi-tester identifies that the tip is hot for both adapters. The problem I have is that the older power brick has two wires: core wire (+) and shield (-), and the newer power adapter has three wires: shield that is connected to the core of tip (+), black that is connected to outer part of cylindrical shaft that must be the ground, and white connected to inner part of cylindrical shaft (also negative?).

So do the black and white wires on the newer adapter need to be soldered to the shield on the older one?   

[Mumbodog]

Just a guess, since it is 90watt, they may have run the extra wire to carry the load, shield is always much larger than center tip wire.

Did you measure voltage and ploarity of all three connections with the brick plugged in?

Tip is always + and ouside is always - on a HP, not sure what the third is, see if there is any voltage on it,

It could also be some sort of sensor wire for the charging system on the mobo.

Better to buy another adapter than smoke the motherboard on the lappy taking a chance.

If you want to chance it just connect the two wires that are on the center and outside. Leave the 3rd odd one unconnected.

probably can be found used for cheap.

[Djard]

Thanks for the response.

Using the outer part of the plug as ground (black wire), the center pin (shield wire) reads 19 VDC. I get the same voltage when measuring the inside of the cylindrical part of the plug (white wire). Logically the outer part of the plug (black wire) is the ground, so the shielding and white wires are 19 VDC (+).

Logically the hot shield and white wires on the new plug need to be connected to the hot wire on the older adapter. I just need someone who is 100% certain to confirm this.  

[Djard]

I learned that the white wire to the inner side of the cylindrical shaft is solely for the power adapter's use: it measures the voltage drop between the 19VDC, feeding this info back to the adapter. But HP adapters just shut down if the voltage drops too far below 19 VDC..

How sad that HP was unwilling to be supportive and provide this information.  

[Mumbodog]

Voltage drop, thats actually intelligent design.

Thanks for sharing.

How did you find this out?

[Djard]

An electronics engineer that is familiar with Dell products kindly shared the info with me. HP used to offer the best support, but that no longer seems to be the case.

[machv5]

Usually when there are three wires and the plug has 3 pins to the outlet then,one is positive the other negative and the third is ground.

And my guess that the main concern to HP not providing the information on something as simple as a charger is so that they cannot end up beng held liable for either damage to the decice or person should Mr. Less Than Average Joe mess up the information and electrocute himself or case something to brst into flames Renault ng in a law suit. Case and point the lady who bought a coffee from McDonalds and promptly dumped it in her lap then sued for not being warned. She got $50,000 for that. Same things with choclate bar warnings about trace amounts of nuts, etc... so whereas I too get the frustration I understand their unwilingness to help.

[machv5]

Dang autocomplete renault is meant to be resulting.

[quazi_ahasan]

Hi,  Me too had an old HP laptop charger which died last night. 90w with 2 wire, shilding carring the -ve voltage and the inner wire or the core wire carrying 19+vdc. Now I wanted to make my old laptop work again and needed that type of charger which is not available and tomorrow is Eid hollyday, so I am doomed. I have another HP product (CQ41)which died 6 months ago but the charger remains. Checked working. So I decided to use it for the old one. Still needed to change the plug. so checked for wiring found tree of them, red, white and black.

As I measured the connection with avo meter found black one attached to the pin in the center, red wire connected to inner cylynder and the white one is connected to the outer cylinder. While powered the charger found red wire  +19vdc, white wire 0vdc, black wire in the center pin for feedback to the board.

So I connected the white wire to the shilding wire and red wire to the core wire of the old 90w adapter's plug. doing good.

[JessikaV · Accepted solution]

Hi Community!

Here are some steps that might help:

How to fix a laptop that won’t charge

It’s finally time to take the troubleshooting into your own hands. With these 8 tips, you may be able to save yourself a trip to the repair shop or a phone call to your PC manufacturer.

1. Check to see if you’re plugged in

It may sound ridiculous, but it pays to check if your laptop and charger are actually plugged in. There’s no hope in charging a laptop that is disconnected from a power source, so be sure to double-check that everything is hooked up as it should be.

Look at each contact point, from the outlet to the AC adapter, the adapter to your laptop port. Everything should be tightly plugged with minimal wiggle room. Don’t forget to check the bottom side of your laptop to make sure the battery is firmly seated into the PC frame.

You’ll want to make sure that the problem isn’t the outlet itself. Blown fuses are common, so be sure to test out another outlet or reset the surge protector after confirming all contact points are intact.

2. Confirm you’re using the correct port

Modern computers are changing more rapidly today than ever before. The birth of the USB-C port has been a pivotal one that is now featured on the vast majority of the latest laptop computers. These ultra-thin ports are great for ultra-thin computers, though newcomers to the port may be confused on their multi-purpose functionality.

Computers that come with two USB-C ports likely have particular functionality designations that you may not know about. Generally speaking, one USB-C port is meant for charging, the other is meant for data-transfer. If your laptop charger is plugged into the data-transfer port rather than the charging port, no charging will occur.

Be sure your cords are living in their designated spots before blaming the hardware.

3. Remove the battery

If your laptop comes with a removable battery, follow these steps:

Step 1. Remove any bolts or screws and take out the battery

Step 2. Hold the power button down for 10-15 seconds

Step 3. Plug the charger in

Step 4. Power the PC on

If your laptop turns on without a problem, you can safely assume that it is not your charger at fault, but a damaged battery that is causing your PC headache. To confirm this theory, you can always re-install the battery and try booting up again.

If your laptop does not have a removable battery, you may need to see a professional specialist who can open up your hardware and run a diagnosis.

4. Examine your power cords for any breaks or unusual bending

Power cords are tiny, flimsy, and incredibly sensitive PC tools that very well may be the cause behind your laptop not charging while it’s plugged in. Examine your power cords by feeling along the length of the cord for any atypical bends, breaks, or warped flexing that may indicate physical damage.

If you discover that your cord has been bent out of shape from a hungry pet or a ferocious vacuum cleaner, replacing the affected end of the power cord will be your easiest fix.

5. Update your drivers

Sometimes all your PC needs is a swift re-up on driver updates to be restored back to its original health. Follow these steps to update your Windows 10 laptop’s battery drivers.

Step 1. Right-click the Start menu to open the Quick Access menu and select Device Manager

Step 2. Under Batteries, open the drop-down menu and right-click Microsoft ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery

Step 3. Within the new selection window, press Update Driver

Windows will ask you, “How do you want to search for drivers?” and you’ll have the option to let Windows search automatically or browse your PC manually for the appropriate software.

Once updated, reboot your PC and try charging again.

JessikaV
HP Support Community Administrator